New York -- Syracuse and Notre Dame arrived in the city of dreams with glorious postseason aspirations in the most meaningful college football game of the week.
The Fighting Irish (11-0) left with theirs intact, marching toward a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Orange (8-3, 5-2 ACC), dreaming of an improbable New Year's Six bowl in its third season under Dino Babers, had the identity that guided it to this stage shaken in a 36-0 loss that felt like it could've been by a wider margin in front of a sell-out crowd of 48,104.
Trouble loomed after losing starting quarterback Eric Dungey early.